U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that EMMANUEL PRIVA, age 37, a citizen of Haiti, was charged today in a two-count conspiracy indictment. As alleged in the indictment, PRIVA ran a visa fraud scheme from his home in Harvey, Louisiana and other locations. In exchange for money, PRIVAwould agree to assist Haitian nationals in fraudulently obtaining visitor visas to travel to the United States. After receiving payment from Haitian nationals, PRIVA would submit online visa applications containing false information, create false documents to support the applications, and coach the aliens on how to deceive consular officers at interviews for the visas. The scheme was focused on making it appear that the Haitian nationals intended to temporarily visit, as opposed to illegally immigrate to the United States. The indictment alleges that PRIVA attempted to fraudulently obtain visas for more than 100 aliens, some of whom succeeded in obtaining visas to travel to the United States.

If convicted, EMMANUEL PRIVA faces maximum terms of imprisonment of ten years for conspiracy to induce and encourage aliens to unlawfully enter the United States and five years for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit visa fraud.

U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service’s Criminal Fraud Investigations and Overseas Criminal Investigations Divisions in jointly investigating this matter, with support from its New Orleans Resident Office. U.S. Attorney Evans thanked the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate and the Haitian National Police’s Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire (Central Directorate of the Judicial Police) for their assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Chandra Menon is in charge of the prosecution.